Commitment is about doing whatever it takes.—Anonymous

Bullying case closed, all parties happy with verdict

Friday, December 28, 2007

A bullying case that has caught nationwide attention was closed, Thursday, with a verdict that satisfied parents, defendants and the plaintiff.

“What you did was wrong and intolerable,” said Justice Zainuddin, reading the verdict.

“You are punished so that you will learn that what you did was wrong.”

The defendants, five young students, were gazing at their shoes. They looked tense and so did their parents.

“Considering the good attitudes you have shown during the court sessions, and your promise not to repeat the wrongdoing, and most importantly the good relations you’ve built with the victim, I hereby sentence all of you to one month and 15 days,” said Justice Zainuddin.

The five boys and their parents looked relieved; the sentence meant the boys could go home Thursday at midnight because it corresponded to the amount of time they had already spent in detention.

“Son, be grateful to God and kiss the earth,” ordered a mother. Three of the convicts then kissed the earth for about half a minute while the other two said prayers vaguely.

“I am so happy my son is coming back home,” said Irsal Salim, father of Ernes Sebastian, who spent almost every night at the police station looking after his son.

Outside the court, Herry S. Sirath, father of injured boy Muhammad Fadhil Harkaputra, said he was satisfied with the decision.

“It doesn’t matter how long the sentence is. I am just protecting my son anyway, not looking for trouble,” he said.

An activist at the National Commission for Child Protection, however, was not happy.

Arist Merdeka Sirait said the decision failed to recognize the spirit of child protection, as the judge did not rehabilitate the convicts’ names.

“Their criminal status can be a burden for them one day. They will not be able to apply for certain jobs in the government, for example,” he said.

“They should be rehabilitated. We must bear in mind that these kids were once victims, too.”

Justice Zainuddin said it was not his prerogative to grant rehabilitation, but the President’s.

However, one of the parents, Irsal Salim, said he was not thinking about restoring his child’s good name. “My son is coming home. That’s the most important thing for me right now.”

The convicts were students of State High School No. 34 in South Jakarta.

One of the juniors, Fadhil, was kicked five times and had his arm broken.

The beating was part of a long-standing tradition undergone by new members to join the high school gang “Gazper”.

On Nov. 8, Fadhil and his father reported the incident to the police.

The case received nationwide media attention and seminars were held on bullying among school children. Experts opined that Fadhil’s experience was not an exception but increasingly a rule in contemporary school life.

The case also caught the attention of children’s right activists, who demanded more sensitive legal procedures to protect the rights of underage defendants.